1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a buckle for releasably connecting loose ends of an article such as a belt or strap applied to garments.
2. Prior Art
Japanese Utility Model Laid-open Publication No. 59-31908 discloses, as reillustrated here in FIGS. 15 and 16, a buckle including a male member A and a female member B releasably couplable together through an inter-locking engagement between a pair of resilient legs C of the male member A and a socket portion of the female member B. The female member B includes a pair of resilient arms D, D disposed on opposite sides of the socket portion and resiliently flexible toward each other to urge the legs C, C out of interlocking engagement with the socket portion for uncoupling the male and female members A, B. The female member further includes a pair of stopper lugs E, E disposed outwardly of the distal ends of the respective arms. The stopper lugs E, E are engageable with the arm's distal ends to limit the lateral movement of the arms D, D, thereby preventing the arms D, D from being broken when they are spread away from one another. The female member B has no means for preventing the arm D, D from moving in a direction perpendicular to the general plane of the female member B with the result that the arms D, D are likely be broken when subjected to forces applied thereto in said direction. Another drawback associated with the prior buckle is in that the legs C, C have a varying width progressively reducing from the distal ends toward the proximal ends thereof for increasing the resiliency of the legs C, C. Due to such varying width, the legs are likely to be broken at the proximal ends during frequent coupling and uncoupling operations of the buckle.